Manafort could face 'rest of life in prison,' judge says

Source: Politico

By JOSH GERSTEIN 03/13/2018 12:37 PM EDT

Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, runs a significant risk of spending the rest of his life in prison and the evidence against him by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office seems strong, a federal judge declared in an order made public on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who is based in Alexandria, Virginia, and is assigned to a newly filed indictment against Manafort dealing with bank fraud and tax evasion, said the veteran lobbyist and political consultant posed “a substantial risk of flight” because of his assets and the gravity of his legal predicament.

“The defendant is a person of great wealth who has the financial means and international connections to flee and remain at large, as well as every incentive to do so,” Ellis wrote in an order setting the terms of what the judge called “home incarceration” for Manafort, 68, who lives in Alexandria but also has homes in Florida and on Long Island.

“Given the nature of the charges against the defendant and the apparent weight of the evidence against him, defendant faces the very real possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison,” wrote Ellis, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan.

2. Jail or not, there will always be a target on his back since he played games with the Russians. n/t

3. Or be facing getting poisoned by

The terrorist Putin. If he goes to prison he also knows they'll get him there to to insure his silence. His not speaking will not save him no matter what trump does by giving him a pardon. He will soon either realize he's in a no win situation, or side with the Mueller investigation, and where he might get enough protection . He knows who he's dealing with, and the risks that were involved. These people are murders, and political terrorists. Its catching up with him, and in a corner with no way out , except to talk, and while he can.

7. Seems strange for a judge to comment publicly on an ongoing case?

12. That's how bail hearings go

Determining the issue of whether or not to grant bail and the amount of bail is a fact based decision made by a judge. It's a calculus of the severity of the offense, the likelihood of conviction, the danger of the defendant and the potential of flight risk. These were all quite appropriate comments by the judge explaining the decision on Manafort's bail conditions.

18. Here's hoping he and Roger Stone can be cellmates.

19. The pardon tweet is being prepared right now.

But first donnie-boy needs to stuff his face with some fake meat/fat.

Still, I agree that manafort and many similars (including dump/relatives) are destined for the keep-em-quiet solution. It's cheap, hard to prove, and if you want to really punish - it can be extremely painful.